Early Life
Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564. He was known to be the first of six (or like some people believe to be seven) children. his family belonged to a nobility but they were not rich. Galileo was never married but he did have a brief relationship with a woman he met on his many trips to Venice. Her name was Marina Gamba. They lived together in the city of Padua with three children. Galileo's two daughters, Virginia and Livia, were put in a convent where they respectively became Sister Maria Celeste and Sister Arcangela. In 1610 Galileo moved to Florence to take a position in the court of the Medici family. He left his son Vincenzio with his mother Marina but when she married Giovanni Bartoluzzi Vincenzio moved to Florence with his father.
Inventions
Galileo invented many different devices other than the pump and hyrdotastic balance but he's most famous for the invention of the telescope. He created his first telescope in 1609. He observed the other telescope parts made around Europe and made his telescope to magnify objects three times.That same year he went on to make a telescope that magnified objects up to twenty times. With this telescope he was able to see the moon, discovered Jupiter's four satellites, verified the phases of Venus, observed the supernova, and discovered sunspots. His observations proved that the Copernican system, which states that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun. However at that time it was believed that the universe was geocentric, meaning that the Sun revolved aroud the Earth.
Theories & Conflicts
Galileo's belief on the Copernican system got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. Because he believed in that system he was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine ,under the order of Pope Paul V, that he did not speak of or defend the Copernican theories. In 1624, Galileo was assured by Pope Urban VIII that he had the right to write about the Copernican system as long as he treated it as a mathematical proposition. When Galileo published his book, Dialouge Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was called to Rome in 1633 to face the Inquisition again to discuss his book.
Last Days
After the meeting he was found guilty for heresay of his Dialouge, and he was sent back home to Florence where he was under arrest for the remainder of his life. The Inqusition allowed him to go home so he would be closer to his doctors but by the time he got home we went completely blind. In 1642 Galileo Galilei was left to die just outside of his home Florence.
